1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of manufacturing a thin-film magnetic head and a thin-film magnetic head.
2. Related Background Art
Thin-film magnetic heads have been in use as read/write heads for data storage devices such as magnetic tape drives using magnetic tapes and hard disk drives using magnetic disks.
The write part of such a thin-film magnetic head performs writing to a magnetic tape or magnetic disk by a magnetic field formed between a planar lower magnetic pole layer and an upper magnetic pole arranged so as to oppose the lower magnetic pole layer through a nonmagnetic gap layer interposed therebetween.
As disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Nos. 2000-20915 and 2005-346786, it has been known that write characteristics improve when the lower magnetic pole layer is provided with a narrow lower magnetic pole projection extending toward the upper magnetic pole in response to the fact that the upper magnetic pole is narrowed in the track width direction as seen from the medium-opposing surface.
The lower magnetic pole layer is formed with the lower magnetic pole projection by a method of partly etching the lower magnetic pole layer while using the upper magnetic pole as a mask; a method of forming a resist frame on the lower magnetic pole layer and laminating a projection of the lower magnetic pole, the gap layer, and the upper magnetic pole within the resist frame; and the like.